I am 21 years old, but independent because I have a dependent child, I don’t live with my parents, and I claim file independently on my taxes.
I currently have a full-time remote job that I can take anywhere, and due to the low cost of living, I was thinking about moving to Michigan and working there for a year before pursuing a degree in computer science at UMich. Obviously the University of Michigan is an excellent school, but apparently they have very strict residency requirements.
So I guess my question is, since I’m independent, working full-time (though I still have an EFC of zero), and I am willing to just live there and work for a year before applying, what are my chances of being classified as in-state a year from now if I apply?
You should be an independent. Make sure you document when you move to Michigan with a new DL, lease/mortgage, utilities, voter card, library card and about anything else you can think of.
Will you get accepted to Michigan? Will you be happy to attend another school in Michigan?
@3js3ks It’s incredibly confusing to interpret :)) I spent a good 45 minutes reading that exact page last night and didn’t really feel any better about a potential plan of action. Hopefully it’s not quite three years. That’s a little long, but it’s also understandable considering how many people are probably trying to do the same thing.
It doesn’t say you have to live there three years, it says if you haven’t lived there 3 years you have to fill out the form that they are going to scrutinize to determine if you are a resident. It’s going to be difficult. You’ll probably have to show how you support yourself (and your child), that your job is a ‘real’ job and not a student-type job, that you pay Michigan taxes (or file the forms if you don’t owe anything).
@twoinanddone I understand. The good news is that I am truly independent and my job will be the only thing that is providing for us, not any family or whatnot. My job is full-time in online tech support, so I don’t know if that’s considered a student-job, but I am the youngest one on my team at age 21
In the 90s U Mich had out of state families sign a waiver saying they were out of state and the status would not change (for tuition purposes) while the student was at UMichigan.
If your EFC is zero, you will get very generous financial aid even if your status is considered out of state. Could even be close to a full ride. Run the NPC as an OOS student.
